Chapter 184: It turns out that I want to borrow this collection
Mo Cheng's expression suddenly changed, and a hint of shock flashed in his eyes. "But those exhibits that were moved just now were obviously authentic! If they were fakes, I would be able to recognize them at a glance."
Xia Lili's heart sank as a terrifying suspicion surfaced in her mind. She spoke slowly, "Could it be that... the person behind the scenes had anticipated that upon your arrival you would first inspect the disturbed exhibits?"
"He knew he couldn't hide it from your eyes, so he didn't dare replace the deliberately disrupted exhibits with fakes."
"As for the other exhibits you didn't examine carefully... he replaced them all with fakes."
She suddenly remembered the antique insurance Li Qihan had mentioned—if these "treasures" were destroyed in a fire, the insurance company would pay a huge premium. As a veteran collector, Mo Cheng's collection was insured for a very high amount. However, after the counterfeit was destroyed, it would be difficult for the insurance company to verify its authenticity, making it easy for the mastermind to defraud the compensation.
Xia Lili's eyes glared, and her voice deepened. "Professor Mo, if you were killed in this fire... who would receive this huge amount of compensation?"
Mo Cheng froze for a moment, and after a long while he whispered, "I think... I already know who it is."
He slowly raised his head, his old eyes filled with pain. "It's the exhibition hall manager, Peng Ze."
Xia Lili's eyes flashed with surprise. What is the relationship between the exhibition hall manager and Mo Cheng?
Mo Cheng noticed Xia Lili's surprise and said word by word, "Pengze is my half-brother... He has my mother's last name. My mother was critically ill when I was sixteen, and she asked me to take good care of him."
"I have no spouse or other relatives. If I die, Peng Ze will be the only heir."
Mo Cheng covered his face, his voice hoarse, "But why him? We grew up together, and he's always been very kind to me... I'm frail and sickly, and every time I'm hospitalized, he's always stayed by my bedside to take care of me, even washing my body with his own hands, not caring about the dirt or the tiredness. He's also been meticulous in making all the arrangements for the exhibitions over the years, always putting me first..."
"He, Peng Ze, never calls himself my brother in front of others, and never uses my reputation to cheat others for personal gain."
"Could it be that this affection of more than forty years... is all fake?" Mo Cheng's fingers trembled slightly, as if even he himself could not believe this speculation.
Xia Lili was silent for a moment. Still young, she couldn't easily judge decades of kinship. Finally, she said softly, "People... always change."
"You recently publicly stated that you would donate your collection to the nation after your death. Perhaps... this is what caused him to change his mind."
Mo Cheng smiled bitterly. The will to donate the collection to the country had not been completed due to the busy exhibition. What Xia Lili speculated was indeed very likely.
"In addition to these antiques, I also have tens of millions of assets left to him... Isn't that enough?"
Desire is insatiable.
Perhaps for Peng Ze, these have long been considered as his own.
Xia Lili didn't say it out loud, but changed the subject, speaking in a lighter tone: "However, on the bright side, today is actually a blessing."
"All those that were burned were fakes. Your original piece is intact, it's just temporarily missing. The police will definitely recover it."
Xia Lili pointed at the burned fakes.
"Not only did you save your life, but you also got to see a person's true face clearly - isn't that something to be thankful for?"
Mo Cheng was stunned for a moment, then looked up at her and suddenly chuckled, "I never thought that after living for over sixty years... I'm not as insightful as a little girl like you."
"Thank you! If you hadn't realized that something was wrong with the antique palace lantern today, I would have burned to death in the exhibition hall..."
Mo Cheng's tone was filled with fear. "But how did you discover there was something wrong with the palace lantern?"
Xia Lili blinked. She remembered the smell of burning white phosphorus, so she said, "I have a keen nose, and I accidentally smelled a pungent odor coming from the palace lantern."
"I've smelled this smell before when setting off fireworks..."
Shang Zhihui also explained on Xia Lili's behalf: "I just tested it and found that the lampshades of these antique palace lanterns are all sprayed with a colorless combustion aid, which has a smell."
"But there's sandalwood in the exhibition hall, which masks the smell of the accelerant. It's hard to detect unless you get close enough to smell it."
"This time, it was really thanks to Comrade Xiao Xia that she noticed the anomaly in the palace lantern and was very alert."
Mo Cheng's expression froze when he heard this, and a look of guilt appeared on his face.
He lowered his head slightly and said in a low voice, "Little girl, I'm really sorry. I treated you rudely before. I was disrespectful..." He paused and said sincerely, "I thought you were here for my collection like those artists."
When Xia Lili heard Mo Cheng mention the borrowing of collectibles, she couldn't help but be curious: "Professor Mo, what kind of collectible did that artist named Ling Che want to borrow from you backstage today?"
"It's a complete set of jade accessories and antique clothing." Mo Cheng thought of the collection, his eyes full of admiration. "The fabric of the antique clothing is made of flowing brocade that imitates the ancient floating brocade technique. If it were on stage, the effect would be amazing."
Xia Lili tilted her head: "Liu Guang Jin?"
"Yes, the weaving method of the Tang Dynasty's floating brocade has long been lost. Now experts have tried their best and used high-tech means to create an imitation called flowing brocade."
Mo Cheng explained, "But this craft is very valuable nowadays. It's basically only studied in laboratories, and occasionally we receive high-end custom orders. Ordinary people can't see it at all."
"So that's how it is. Ling Che's team is quite well prepared." Xia Lili curled her lips, thinking of that annoying guy who always targeted her brother.
"This artist has asked me to lend it to him three times, offering very attractive terms, but he really doesn't suit my taste. Furthermore, I've publicly stated before that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this collection will no longer be loaned to anyone else."
Mo Cheng suddenly thought of something and changed the subject: "The next episode will be about traditional Chinese culture. If your brother needs this collection for his performance, you can lend it to him."
Xia Lili looked up in surprise - the precious collection that Ling Che's team had failed to borrow time and time again, now Professor Mo was actually going to lend it to her brother?
Thinking that Ling Che, who always competed with his brother, would definitely be defeated after knowing this, Xia Lili couldn't help but smile: "Thank you, Professor Mo! I will ask my brother about the performance arrangements for the third episode tomorrow!"
Mo Cheng shook his head, took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to her: "If you encounter any difficulties in the future and need help, please feel free to contact me."
"After all," he smiled kindly, "you are my savior."
Xia Lili smiled when she heard the word "savior." She had heard this word more than once. "Okay, I won't be polite!"
"You seem to have a special liking for Master Huang's 'Ink Mountain and Autumn Chrysanthemums'?" Mo Cheng said gently, "You are welcome to visit my estate anytime to admire these collections."
He paused and continued, "I am going to draft a donation agreement and give you this painting of Autumn Chrysanthemums on Ink Mountain for free."
The painting of autumn chrysanthemums on mountains in ink is worth 21 million.
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